XR Weekly: Smart Glasses Wars Erupt as Samsung Leaks and Apple Designs Surface - Week of May 11, 2026
Smart glasses dominated XR headlines this week with Samsung's Galaxy Glasses leaking through a software update, Bloomberg detailing four Apple smart glasses prototypes, and IDC data confirming glasses now outsell VR headsets 3:1. Meanwhile, Valve's new Steam Controller sold out in 30 minutes and the Creature Feature showcase announced a sequel to cult VR hit H3VR.
Quick Answer
Smart glasses dominated XR headlines this week with Samsung's Galaxy Glasses leaking through a software update, Bloomberg detailing four Apple smart glasses prototypes, and IDC data confirming glasses now outsell VR headsets 3:1. Meanwhile, Valve's new Steam Controller sold out in 30 minutes and the Creature Feature showcase announced a sequel to cult VR hit H3VR.
The week of May 4-11, 2026 made one thing abundantly clear: the smart glasses wars are officially here. Smart glasses dominated the headlines across multiple fronts, a beloved VR franchise announced its sequel, two major developer tool updates shipped, and a controller sold out in 30 minutes. From Samsung's accidental firmware leak to Bloomberg's deep dive into Apple's smart glasses prototypes, the category that VR headsets once dominated is rapidly being reshaped by lightweight eyewear. Here is the week that was in XR.
Hardware
Samsung Galaxy Glasses leak through accidental app update. Samsung accidentally revealed its upcoming smart glasses through a routine update to the Nearby Device Scanning app on Galaxy phones. Firmware analysis uncovered two models in development: Jinju, a display-less AI-first pair running on Snapdragon AR1 with a 12-megapixel Sony IMX681 camera, priced between $379 and $499, and Haean, a premium model with a micro-LED display targeting 2027 at $600 to $900. The launch window points to Galaxy Unpacked in July 2026, though there is also speculation that Google I/O on May 19 could include a teaser or joint announcement, given that Galaxy Glasses run Android XR. (VR.org)
Bloomberg details Apple's four smart glasses prototypes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple is actively testing four frame styles for AI smart glasses: large rectangular, slim rectangular (similar to what Tim Cook wears), large oval, and small oval. The frames are made from premium acetate with a vertically oriented oval camera system. No display. Deep Siri and Apple Intelligence integration with a second wide-angle camera for hand gesture recognition. An unveil at the iPhone 18 event in September 2026 is possible, with retail availability in 2027. (VR.org)
Steam Controller sells out in 30 minutes. Valve's new Steam Controller launched May 4 at $99 and sold its entire initial allocation within 30 minutes. Steam's payment servers buckled under the load. The controller features TMR magnetic thumbsticks that eliminate stick drift, dual square trackpads with haptics, 6-axis gyro, Grip Sense, and 35+ hour battery life. No restock date has been announced. Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with most outlets calling it the best PC gaming controller available. The success is being read as an encouraging signal for Valve's upcoming Steam Frame headset. (Road to VR)
IDC: Smart glasses now outsell VR headsets 3:1. Global XR shipments grew 44.4% in 2025 to 14.5 million units, but smart glasses drove nearly all of that growth. Smart glasses surged 110% year-over-year in H1 2025 while VR and MR headsets declined 14%. Meta Quest shipments fell 42.3%. Ray-Ban Meta has sold more than 2 million units since launch, with sales tripling in Q2 2025. The market has tipped decisively toward glasses. (VR.org)
Software & Apps
H3VR 2 announced at Creature Feature showcase. The May 6 Creature Feature & Friends VR Showcase delivered the biggest surprise of the week. A bevy of new VR games and updates were shown off, frontloaded with a very obvious headliner: the upcoming sequel to Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. Players will shoot, loot, and scoot as a sentient hot dog in the sequel to the award-winning, best-selling immersive FPS. Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades 2 is heading to Quest 3/3S and Steam. (Road to VR)
Spymaster and FlatOut 4 headline May 7 launch day. May 7 was a stacked launch day. Spymaster from InnerspaceVR (the A Fisherman's Tale studio) hit Early Access on Quest and PC VR with time-bending espionage gameplay. Evil Inside VR launched as a ground-up VR rebuild on Quest 3 and PSVR2 at $14.99. FlatOut 4: Total Insanity VR brought destructive racing to PC VR Early Access. And Walkabout Mini Golf released the Blokhaven DLC across all platforms. (UploadVR)
Trebuchet sets Compass release for May 28. Trebuchet announced its open world VR flight adventure Compass now has a release date on Quest 3/3S and Steam: May 28th. Canadian studio Kettle Games also unveiled a brand-new gameplay teaser for its language puzzler Wordbound and confirmed a Steam release, with the title heading to Quest 3/3S and SteamVR as well. (Road to VR)
Funding & Deals
It was a relatively quiet week on the funding front following Snap's headline-grabbing Qualcomm announcement last month. Snap signed a multi-year agreement with Qualcomm on April 10, 2026, committing Snapdragon XR to power future Specs; the device is slated for a consumer release later in 2026. (Glass Almanac)
Android XR partner ecosystem expands. Industry watchers are now counting the growing list of confirmed Android XR partners. Samsung (Jinju and Haean), Warby Parker (two variants with $150M Google investment), Gentle Monster, Gucci (2027), and XREAL (Project Aura with optical see-through display) bring the total to at least seven distinct products across five brands, all running the same platform, all launching within roughly 18 months of each other. (VR.org)
Enterprise & Industry
Apple Vision Pro reports of "death" exaggerated. Following late-April reports that Apple had dissolved the Vision Products Group, fresh reporting this week pushed back. A report relying on a limited-in-scope anonymous leak reached the conclusion that Apple Vision Pro had become an abandoned product line. While the base team may have changed or evolved, the project itself hasn't been given up on. AppleInsider's initial assessment has been reiterated by others in the know, including in the latest Power On newsletter. While the Vision Products Group has been broken up into various other organizations, development of the Apple Vision Pro hasn't stopped. (AppleInsider)
Quick Hits
- If this week was the warmup, May 19 (Google I/O) could be something special for Android XR watchers. (VR.org)
- Crêpe Master! from indie French developer Halluination Studio released May 7 on Quest 3/3S, putting players in the shoes of Hana, a magical girl who embodies the reincarnation of the Crêpe Goddess. (Road to VR)
- Really Interactive (Toran, Virtuoso) revealed its next game, intergalactic narrative adventure Janet's Planets, heading to Quest 3/3S and Steam. (Road to VR)
- Google's April Android XR update introduced auto-spatialization, converting any 2D app into a 3D spatial experience with one button press, combined with Android Enterprise support and five years of guaranteed updates. (VR.org)
- Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon confirmed to CNBC that a 2026 launch for Samsung's smart glasses remains on track. (Gadget Hacks)
- Apple Newsroom posted fresh updates on May 5 and May 7, 2026, continuing its drumbeat of visionOS and Apple Intelligence improvements. (Apple Newsroom)
Next week's spotlight shifts to Mountain View, where Google I/O on May 19-20 is expected to bring fresh Android XR announcements, ARCore updates, and potentially the first official teases from Samsung's smart glasses partners.